Chapter : 61

Rishav's POV

"I like that pace, keep it the same Saqib." Kiran told Saqib as he bowled.

Nodding a yes, Saqib picked another ball and headed for the bowling side to throw another ball at Madhav, that St.Louis boy.

"You think Kiran is afraid of playing the ball?" Ravi asked me as we kept running laps around the DS Stadium.

"The possibility did cross my mind but..." I said and shook my head in negative as I stopped to take a breath.

"But what?" Ravi asked as he slowed down to match my walk.

"But I think he's just gave up the game." I said.

"What made you make that assumption?" Ravi asked as we started jogging towards the practice nets.

"Ever seen how he takes the bat and swings it around a few times when the players are all busy? His eyes show how much he loves to hold it." I said as I looked back at Kiran who was teaching Madhav the right ways to cover the wicket.

"Really? Holding a bat in hands told you all of that?" Ravi asked, amused.

"Why not? If a girl replies to your comments on Instagram and you can read the reply and tell if she's interested in you or not; why can't I make that assumption then?" I asked as I stretched my left foot out.

"Ah, that's my talent you know." Ravi said and grinned, clearly flattered.

"Enough gossip, you're up for batting kid." Kiran's voice reached me.

"Aye aye captain." I mumbled to myself as I grabbed a bat and took my position.

***

"Kid, would you move aside that pile of books?" Kiran asked me, pointing at the whole stack of books and old newspapers in the corner of his cabin.

Nodding, I reached out for the stack. Turns out, it's pretty heavy. I decided to pick up half of the stack at a time and then the next half.

It was evening now and all the boys had been sent home from practice. Well, all except for me and Ravi. We two were the last ones leaving when we noticed Kiran stumble out of his cabin with a bag of old letters and notes from his cabin. He was cleaning up the mess that had piled up in there in the span of about a year but we figured out he would be needing help.

Having nothing else to do, we decided on helping out poor Kiran Raj. He accepted our entry with a sigh of relief.

It was almost dark outside now and the only source of light were the cabin lights. Ravi was outside the cabin room, separating important letters and notes from the rest while Kiran and I were bringing the useless stuff out. Kiran moved out of the cabin to have a look at Ravi while I struggled with the stack.

Once I succeeded in picking up the stack, I pushed it aside on the table so that Kiran would take it out. When I leaned over to pick up the second stack, I stopped short as a newspaper, cleanly folded, caught my attention.

The headline stated : Money For Match?

A picture was also printed below the headline. I wasn't sure but the guy looked like... Kiran. Yes, it was him! Probably in his teen years.

I took a glance at the cabin doorway which was deserted. Assuming that Kiran was busy with Ravi outside, I picked up the old newspaper and straightened it out to read the article.

Money for Match?
In recent view of the Ranji Cricket Board, exceptional player and batsman, Kiran Raj (18), has been accused of being involved in fixing regarding the semi finals where he lost his wicket very unusually. To make the scene more suspicious are his poor midfields where he dropped several balls of the rival batsmen which were potential catch outs.
The Board has decided to expel Kiran Raj out of the team with regards to the recent happening-

"What the hell Rishav?!" Kiran's voice made me jump out of my skin.

I turned to find him looking at me with creases on his forehead and hurt and fury clearly flashing in his eyes. I looked down at the article once and then back at him. Taking a deep breath, I place the newspaper on the desk. I could see Kiran's jaw clench hard as he looked down at the newspaper.

"I don't believe this shit." I stated plainly.

Kiran whipped his head up to look at me with a hint of surprise in his eyes. I'm sure he had anticipated that I will turn judgemental and look at him accusingly but none of that happened.

"The Kiran that I know, whom I have met, can never stoop that low." I spoke further when he didn't say anything.

"It's all in the past kid. Nothing's gonna change if you believe the article or don't." Kiran said in a low voice.

"Of course it does! You gave up the game because some guys accused you of playing bad to get money! It was so stupid of you Kiran." I said.

He looked up at me with a humorless laugh.

"Tell me kid, when your dad looks at you with disappointed eyes. When your team believes that you're a disgrace to the game. When your fans turn your back on you by believing a stupid article in the newspaper. What would you do?" Kiran said, his voice barely a whisper.

I was at a loss of words. Clearly, there was some messed up past of Kiran's that forced him to give up the one thing he loved the most. Though he laughed and cracked jokes, deep down he was broken. He felt betrayed.